Mammoth Ride Report

Mammoth Ride Report

“We love how democratic the bicycle industry can be. Even though massive, multinational manufacturers like Giant and Trek dominate the industry with bike sales in the hundreds of thousands each year, boutique brands that offer good products can still hold their own.

Case in point: Fort Lupton, Colorado-based Lenz Sport Bicycles, the brainchild of Devin Lenz. Having built his first full-suspension bike in 1996 for himself, Lenz officially launched the brand the following year after friends began requesting frames. The equation was—and remains—a simple one: build around high-quality aluminum bikes made in the U.S.

Thanks to the urging of endurance racing legend Mike Curiak, Lenz entered the 29er market early on (back in 2004), and his frames became something of cult classics. He also built what was arguably the first long-travel 29er, a five-inch full-suspension design called the Lunchbox. It eventually morphed into a six-incher, which may not sound like a lot in the context of today’s rash of bigger bikes, but was groundbreaking in 2007.

So we were excited to try the company’s latest five-inch trail bike, the Mammoth, because we assumed with so many years of experience, it would be a pretty dialed-in ride. So far, our expectations have been spot on.” Outside Mag